Watching From the Sidelines
by JereduLevenin
Summary: Reeve Tuesti hated watching from the sidelines while the people he cares about do all the dangerous work, especially when it comes to saving the world.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Final Fantasy VII or any of its characters. That would be Square Enix.

**Spoilers for Final Fantasy VII: Dirge of Cerberus. Ye be warned!**

—

In that one moment, Reeve Tuesti was certain his heart had stopped. A faint flicker of doubt, the cold dagger of fear in his gut as the luminous wings stirred against the dark sky. Shadows twisted as the earth was lit in flickering Mako green for a second time. Reeve shuddered at the eerie parallel. The lifeblood of the planet was rising to act once again. Last time had made them all wonder if protecting the Planet included protecting those living on it, as far as the Lifestream was concerned. But this time?

Reeve tore his eyes away from the towering figure of Omega and did his best to ignore the sick terror that was trying to crawl up his throat. For that one instant, he had forgotten the very people standing beside him. He felt a tiny tendril of shame, as though his doubt was an act of betrayal, not simple human instinct. But these people, his friends, were not simple humans. Occasionally, he found himself wondering why they even counted him amongst their numbers. But then he pushed those thoughts aside as well and looked skyward.

Vincent.

Once glance at the massive, tattered wings was all it took. Reeve felt the wailing fear begin to dissipate as it was replaced by something far more potent-

Hope.

Something wild and wonderful was coursing through his veins, through all of them, as the dark form rose higher and higher. Reeve could almost feel their elation like a tangible thing. For a moment, he wondered if wind alone was filling those ragged wing-sails. But then the earth heaved like a living thing, and Omega began to ascend as well. Elation became tense anticipation. His heart roared to life, hammering in his chest as he was nearly thrown into the dirt. Fierce wind whipped around him, making him squint as he tracked the red blur. Had it not been enough to stop the one in the core? Could Omega even be stopped now that it had awakened?

Reeve finally voiced the thought in all their minds. "Omega's ascending…? But that would mean-" he stopped himself before he could say it. There was no point.

Vincent glanced down as though he had heard Reeve's voice. Reeve met the strange glowing eyes, picturing wine red irises in their place. He wondered that Vincent could still see him from such a distance, but the gunman seemed satisfied and turned upward once more, the pulsing beacon of azure light in his chest suddenly flaring like a dying star. Vincent snarled and shot upward like an indigo comet, resignation replaced by resolution and determination.

—

Reeve blinked stars and tears from his eyes, trying to clear them after the blinding flash. The sky had turned searing white, shining so brightly that he wondered if Holy had somehow been called forth. But then the white parted, and they were left standing beneath a black sky once more. Reeve continued to watch the night sky as his eyes began to adjust, revealing stars and shimmering motes of Mako that began to fall like snow. His heart fluttered as he caught a glimpse of crimson, then leapt into this throat when it began to dissipate. Yuffie was the first to cry out, calling Vincent's name. Reeve's lips moved as they formed the syllables he couldn't squeeze past the lump in his throat. He knew this feeling all too well. The last time he'd felt it…

The memories came unbidden to torment him: the image of Vincent slouched over Yuffie's shoulder, a gaping, fist-sized wound in his chest glimpsed behind his mantle as he bled out. The red and black ensemble hid bloodstains so well until one noticed the great swathes and blossoms of crimson covering his rescuer and trailing behind them, none of it her own. Healing factor or not, it was hard to imagine anyone surviving such an injury. Reeve would have given anything to have been able to stay by Vincent's side as he recovered. Instead, he had been forced to leave the man in Yuffie's care and insufferable company. Vincent took it in stride, informing Reeve that he would be forgiven considering the circumstances. Reeve was just relieved that the unflappable gunman had survived with his personality (and sense of humor) intact.

All things considered, Reeve found that simply not _knowing_ was even worse. And he knew that he was being selfish, because everyone else was feeling exactly the same as he. And for some, it was far from the first time.

Reeve moved, walking briskly before the numbness inside could grow worse. He didn't get far before a hand caught his sleeve. He turned, expecting a WRO officer or Shelke. Instead, he found himself looking into Yuffie's earnest eyes.

"We'll find him," she said, a bit quickly. He opened his mouth to reply, but she cut him off. "We _will_." Reeve caught the glint in her eyes, the stubborn set of her jaw, and felt his lips tug themselves into a lopsided smile.

—

A/N: Have you ever revisited an old, favorite fandom? Have you ever done so after getting immersed in some _other_ fandoms you knew nothing about back then? Well, coming back to FFVII post-Avengers sure puts an interesting twist on things. Parallels between Captain America's serum and the SOLDIER program… and hot _damn_ does Reeve Tuesti remind me of Tony Stark. He kinda looks like Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony, and he IS a mechanical genius, being the guy who designed Midgar and all, and he builds robots as a hobby. He's one of the only department heads at ShinRa Co. who has a conscience. He's not as rich, arrogant, or athletic as Tony, and he's not superhumanly brilliant, but still.

On a side note, do you think I should continue or expand on this story? Following the weeks that follow as everyone searches for Vincent, etc. Kinda like how Howard Stark never stopped looking for Cap, actually. Except with a happier ending.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Final Fantasy VII or any of its characters. That would be Square Enix.

Reeve wondered if he was being selfish again. So many people had gone missing during the Deepground incident. Rebuilding was going to be an even greater task than before. But at the same time, how could he _not_ put everything he had into finding Vincent? Though he rarely was able to meet with the others, the phone calls were flying faster than ever. If Vincent had left of his own volition, there were certainly no signs of it. It was as if the man had simply disappeared into thin air, along with Omega. Reeve knew the WRO had other priorities, but they weren't the only eyes and ears willing to help.

The phone rang, and Reeve braced himself for disappointment.

"Any word, Reno?"

The voice coming through the earpiece was rough with weariness.

"_You have any idea how hard it is to track down a Turk who doesn't wanna be found, man? Valentine was a friggin' legend _before _he got all those freaky enhancements, yo!_"

Reeve rolled his eyes. "There's no reason for him to have gone into hiding at the present. Assuming…" he bit his lip, loath to finish that trail of thought. Reno cleared his throat.

"_Yeah, yeah. If he's… well, we'll find him, or what's left of him. Bodies are easier to track than Turks, yo! Well, except for that one time Cloud took a swim in the Lifestream… Or when he turned up in the church..._"

Reeve doubted the same miracle would happen again, though. After the Geostigma incident, Cloud had miraculously reappeared in Aeris's old church after vanishing in an explosion that should have killed him. But Aeris had undoubtedly intervened on his behalf.

"Just... keep me posted," Reeve rasped, his throat suddenly tight. It had already been five days. Five days without a single trace of Vincent. He barely heard Reno's reply.

—

Yuffie had finally latched on to Shelke as a possible source of more information. Perhaps Vincent had seen her as something of a kindred spirit. Being a victim of ShinRa experimentation, she _had_ managed to catch Vincent's attention. Yuffie figured Vincent might have said something to her, anything that could help them find him. If nothing else, Shelke might provide some insight on how a man as troubled and damaged as Vincent might think.

But actually _talking_ to Shelke was another matter entirely!

—

"Oh, come _on_. You mean he didn't say _anything_ to you?" Yuffie was ready to rip her hair out in frustration. "_Man!_ I thought I was finally on to something, too!"

Shelke just watched her blandly from across the table. Yuffie had convinced her to meet at Tifa's bar, which had managed to escape the violence. "I asked him what he was fighting for, and his response was… ambiguous," she offered. "I believe his earlier discoveries were causing him great anxiety."

Yuffie mulled this over. "Well… yeah. I mean, I would have felt pretty betrayed, yanno? And I know the thing with his dad and Hojo and Lucrecia was a huge mess," she explained. "But we already knew that! Like, knew that way back before any of this Deepground stuff blew up."

It was so frustrating!

Shelke looked away. "I… I believe I am beginning to understand. Hojo and Lucrecia are gone, but there is no closure. Some things are too painful to heal," she murmured.

Yuffie frowned. "But we've won. There's no reason to hide, and Vince is too stubborn to just give up and die!"

Shelke met her eyes again. "He is persistent when he feels there is a reason worth fighting for, yes," came the monotonous reply. "But fighting is no longer necessary. From what I have observed, Vincent Valentine dwells on the past when he is troubled, though such actions are of little use."

Yuffie couldn't stop herself from grinning. Even _Shelke_ could tell that Vince was too gloomy.

Shelke was unperturbed. "Vincent Valentine also encouraged me to find a reason to live besides fighting. But this conflicts with his own behavior at times…"

This drew a giggle from Yuffie. "It's called being a hypocrite. Vince isn't as bad as you think, though," she explained. "I mean, I swear he was over and done with all of this until the Deepground thing. That stirred up all the bad memories and made a few new ones."

Shelke nodded. "I believe he uncovered additional information that deeply troubled him, especially concerning Dr. Lucrecia Crescent."

Yuffie sighed and slouched down in the chair. "Yeah, I really don't get what he saw in her. She was an idiot to choose a creepy bastard like Hojo over a guy like Vince. Can't say she got what she deserved, though."

Shelke looked almost… curious?

"What exactly did happen?"

Yuffie didn't know the whole story, but…

"Well, I know Hojo was experimenting with Jenova cells, and used Lucrecia's baby as the guinea pig. Vince was really upset and confronted Hojo, got himself killed," she explained. "Not sure what happened in between, but we all know how Sephiroth turned out. I heard Lucrecia got really sick, felt bad about what they'd done. Not sure _how_ it happened, but we did eventually find her…" Yuffie gasped.

"Shelke… I think I just might have an idea!"

Yuffie pulled out her PHS and began to dial.

—

A/N: Got a few positive responses, so I went ahead and wrote another chapter. I'd love some reviews, so please feel free to tell me what you thought, be it criticism or suggestions or just a simple "I liked it!" All of those things are helpful and encouraging.


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